Welsh Fire (9/2) top the table with three wins from four matches – the other a no result – in a stunning turn of form. The Cardiff-based franchise finished dead last in the first and second iterations of The Hundred – and have in fact won as many games in 2023 as they had done in the previous two seasons.
The Fire have acquired some considerable talent this season, captained by England opener Tammy Beaumont (12/1 Top Batter Tournament) – who's sixth in run scoring with 85 runs. Hayley Matthews (88 runs), Georgia Elwiss (71 runs) and Sophia Dunkley (53) are a strong quartet of batters.
With the ball, Shabnim Ismail (8/1 Top Bowler Tournament) has six wickets and took a hat-trick against the Birmingham Phoenix to win the game on August 10. The weakness may be the rest of the bowling attack – with only Alex Griffiths high up in the wicket-taking rankings.
Southern Brave (12/5) remain considerable favourites and it is easy to see why. Smitri Mandhana (3/1 Top Batter Tournament) with 144 runs, Maia Bouchier (6/1) with 134 runs and Danni Wyatt (9/2) with 126 runs are the three leading run scorers in the women’s competition, with Georgia Adams (11/8 Top Bowler Tournament) leading the competition with 10 wickets from 80 balls.
A defeat to Welsh Fire has been mixed with three victories over the Trent Rockets, Northern Superchargers and London Spirit. With the Fire, Birmingham, Oval and Manchester remaining on the schedule, they face a relatively easy finish and are likely to top the table.
Two-time defending champions Oval Invincibles are third in the betting at 5/1 but have yet to hit the heights of previous years. Alice Capsey (16/1 Top Batter Tournament) with 53 runs and Lauren Winfield-Hill (33/1) with 45 runs are the lead scorers in a season that has included totals of just 80 and 128. With just three points on the board, however, they need to start winning now.
Northern Superchargers (11/2) and Manchester Originals (13/2) are next in the betting. The Superchargers boast a number of international talents including the trio of spinners Linsey Smith (five wickets), Georgia Wareham (five wickets) and Lucy Higham (three wickets). They’ve also invested heavily in their overseas talent with Aussie opener Phoebe Litchfield and Indian Jemimah Rodrigues perennial run scorers.
Manchester, meanwhile, is captained by England’s best bowler Sophie Ecclestone (15/2 Top Bowler Tournament), with the likes of Deandre Dotton, Emma Lamb and Laura Wolvaardt capable of single-handedly winning games with the willow.
